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A woman watches an annular solar eclipse on October 14, 2023 using special solar filter glasses at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Carlos Tischler/ Eyepix Group/Future Publishing via Getty Images hide caption

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Carlos Tischler/ Eyepix Group/Future Publishing via Getty Images

Watching a solar eclipse without the right filters can cause eye damage. Here's why

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Shohini Ghose is the author of the 2023 book Her Space, Her Time: How Trailblazing Women Scientists Decoded the Hidden Universe. Throughout the book, Ghose highlights the stories of women who have transformed physics and astronomy. Courtesy of MIT Press hide caption

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Courtesy of MIT Press

This Women's History Month, how physics connects two Bengali women born decades apart

When Shohini Ghose was studying physics as a kid, she heard certain names repeated over and over. "Einstein, Newton, Schrodinger ... they're all men." Shohini wanted to change that — so she decided to write a book about some of the women scientists missing from her grade school physics textbooks. It's called Her Space, Her Time: How Trailblazing Women Scientists Decoded the Hidden Universe. This episode, she talks to Short Wave host Regina G. Barber about uncovering the women physicists she admires — and how their stories have led her to reflect on her own.

This Women's History Month, how physics connects two Bengali women born decades apart

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Eclipse enthusiasts wearing protective glasses view a partial eclipse from Beckman Lawn at Caltech in Pasadena, Calif., on Aug. 21, 2017. Another solar eclipse is just weeks away. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

This close-up of the Verona astrolabe shows Arabic and Hebrew markings. Federica Gigante hide caption

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Federica Gigante

This medieval astrolabe has both Arabic and Hebrew markings. Here's what it means

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The National Ignition Facility used lasers to generate net energy from a pellet of fusion fuel in 2022. But the experiment is still a long way from truly producing more electricity than it requires. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory hide caption

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Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Are we on the brink of a nuclear fusion breakthrough?

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People with symptoms of long Covid sit in the audience as they listen during a Senate Committee hearing on Long Covid earlier this year. Long Covid remains one of the most vexing legacies of the pandemic. Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption

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Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Students finish their lunch at Lowell Elementary School in Albuquerque, N.M., on Aug. 22, 2023. A legislative proposal would ban six artificial food dyes in California schools. Susan Montoya Bryan/AP hide caption

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Susan Montoya Bryan/AP

Isabela Oside, 45, washes hands of her daughter Faith, 3, who completed doses through the worlds first malaria vaccine. Malaria is one of the preventable diseases that contributes to worldwide child mortality. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images

Why a new report on child mortality is historic, encouraging — and grim

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Flares burn off methane and other hydrocarbons at an oil and gas facility in Lenorah, Texas in 2021. New research shows drillers emit about three times as much climate-warming methane as official estimates. David Goldman/AP hide caption

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David Goldman/AP

Oil and gas companies emit more climate-warming methane than EPA reports

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This type of staghorn coral (Acropora pulchra) appeared to benefit from the presence of sea cucumbers (Holothuria atra), a new study finds. Terry Moore/Stocktrek Images / Science Source hide caption

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Terry Moore/Stocktrek Images / Science Source

This often-overlooked sea creature may be quietly protecting the planet's coral reefs

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The false notion of "biological race" is still sometimes used as a diagnostic tool in medicine. Why? Jackie Lay for NPR hide caption

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Jackie Lay for NPR

Millions of people are affected by long COVID, a disease that encompasses a range of symptoms — everything from brain fog to chronic fatigue — and that manifests differently across patients. The Washington Post/The Washington Post via Getty Images hide caption

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The Washington Post/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Inside a simulated Mars exterior portion of the CHAPEA's Mars Dune Alpha at the Johnson Space center in Houston, Texas in April 2023. Mark Felix/AFP /AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Mark Felix/AFP /AFP via Getty Images

Why NASA wants human guinea pigs to test out Martian living

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Strength training is good for everyone, but women who train regularly get a significantly higher boost in longevity than men. Gary Yeowell/Getty Images hide caption

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Gary Yeowell/Getty Images

Women who do strength training live longer. How much is enough?

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On July 16, 1945, scientists detonated "Gadget," the world's first atomic bomb. White Sands Missile Range Photo hide caption

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White Sands Missile Range Photo

'Oppenheimer' is winning awards. Here's the science behind the atomic bomb

Coming down from the buzz of the Oscars, we're taking a look at Christopher Nolan's award-winning film 'Oppenheimer.' It chronicles the life and legacy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the first director of Los Alamos National Laboratory and the so-called "Father of the Atomic Bomb." The movie does not shy away from science — and neither do we. We talked to current scientists at Los Alamos about the past and present science of nuclear weapons like the atomic bomb.

'Oppenheimer' is winning awards. Here's the science behind the atomic bomb

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